On 25
November, activists of numerous FIDH members across the world staged pickets of
solidarity with the imprisoned Viasna leader Ales Bialiatski, following a
4.5-year verdict pronounced by Minsk court on 24 November. Cities
covered by the campaign include Paris, Brussels, Stockholm, Helsinki, Buenos-Aires, Ankara, Saint Petersburg, Yerevan, Bishkek, Tbilisi, Zagreb, etc.

In response
of the FIDH initiative, a press-conference in support of convicted FIDH
Vice-President and President of Human Rights Center Viasna Ales Bialiatski was
held by at Zagreb on November 25.

Tomislav
Jakic, member of Civil Committee for human rights and Croatian Presidental
Foreign Policy adviser form 2000 to 2010 (on the right side), Jurica Malcic,
Supreme Court judge and Ombudsman of Croatia (on the left) and Zoran Pusic,
President of Civil Committee for human rights took part at this event.

During the
event in support of Ales Bialiatski held by Armenian activists in
front of the Belarusian Embassy in Yerevan on November 25, an open letter to
Belarusian President Alexandre Lukashenko signed by FIDH President Souhayr
Belhassen was passed to the Secretary of the Embassy of Belarus.

On November
25, a protest action against unlawful
conviction of Ales Bialiatski was held at 11:00 am in front of the Embassy
of Belarus in Bishkek. The manifestation was attended by
representatives of Kyrgyz civil society: Human Rights Center
"Citizens against corruption" PF
"Kylym Shamy," Legal
Clinic "Adilet", as well as volunteers and students. The
action lasted until 12:00, but the Embassy did
not react.

“We are all
too familiar with repressive regimes that subvert the law and legal systems to
persecute human rights defenders. Belarus is one such country”, said that the
Executive Director of ZIMRIGHTS Mr. Okay Machisa.

“Of
particular concern in this matter is the witting or unwitting role played by
the Polish authorities to facilitate the persecution of a human rights defender
despite the EU’s well publicized position and guidelines on human rights
defenders. The matter calls for an urgent review of how the guidelines are
being implemented and how the EU countries should address incompatibilities
between their obligations to protect human rights defenders and other bilateral
or multilateral commitments”, said Arnold Tsunga of ZIMRIGHTS and
FIDH Vice President.

“Today, in answer to the International
Federation of Human Rights (FIDH)’s call, we have gathered here in front of the
Belarus Embassy in Ankara to demand the immediate release of
Ales BIALIASTKI, Vice-President of the FIDH. As has been the case in several
countries, we the defenders of human rights are gathered in front of the
Belarus Embassies to express our support to Ales BIALIATSKI”, says a statement
released by the Turkish Human Rights Association NGO.